THE TEN MAHA - VIDYAS ( ?? ?????????

) [ Part - 1 ] :
== *** Must Read : A Symbolic Interpretation of Das Mahavidya ==
The highest spiritual truth is that reality is One. That reality, when personifi
ed as the Divine Mother, expresses itself in countless ways. The ten Mahavidyas,
or Wisdom Goddesses, represent distinct aspects of divinity intent on guiding t
he spiritual seeker toward liberation. For the devotionally minded seeker these
forms can be approached in a spirit of reverence, love, and increasing intimacy.
For a knowledge-oriented seeker, these same forms can represent various states
of inner awakening along the path to enlightenment.
1. Kali :
In the series of the ten Mahavidyas or wisdom aspects of the Divine Mother, Kali
comes first, for she represents the power of consciousness in its highest form.
She is at once supreme power and ultimate reality, underscoring the fundamental
Tantric teaching that the power of consciousness and consciousness itself are o
ne and the same.
Kali appears to us in countless ways, but some aspects are more commonly encount
ered than others. In the esoteric Krama system of Kashmir, she is said to have a
succession of twelve forms, beginning with Guhyakali, the supreme mystery, the
Absolute. The other eleven forms represent every subsequent level of awareness,
all the way down to our ordinary, unenlightened state. From pure formlessness an
d throughout the countless forms she assumes, Kali is the sole reality. Mother i
s all, and all is Mother.
The earliest descriptions of Kali belong to the Puranas, and they place her on t
he battlefield. The Devimahatmya vividly depicts a scene with Kali and her assoc
iated goddesses ready to take on an army of demons. Here, Kali has emerged as th
e personified wrath of the Divine Mother Durga. She appears emaciated, with her
dark flesh hanging loosely from her bones. Her sunken eyes glow red in their soc
kets. She is clad in a tiger s skin and carries a skull-topped staff. A garland of
human heads adorns her neck. Her gaping mouth shows her to be a fearsome, blood
-thirsty deity. The battle culminates with the slaying of two demon generals, Ch
anda and Munda, and this act earns her the name Chamunda.
In the next episode Chamunda takes on the demon Raktabija. His name means, he who
se seed is blood. Whenever a drop of his blood falls upon the ground, another dem
on of equal size and strength springs up. In the battle, he sheds blood profusel
y until the world is teeming with Raktabijas. Just when the battle looks hopeles
s and the onlooking gods despair, Chamunda roams the battlefield, avidly lapping
up the blood and crushing the nascent demons between her gnashing teeth. Finall
y, drained of his last drop of blood, Raktabija topples lifeless to the ground.
On the surface this appears to be a grisly tale, but it symbolizes profound insi
ght. Raktabija s amazing replicative ability symbolizes the human mind s ordinary st
ate of awareness. The mind is constantly in motion, and one thought begets anoth
er in an endless succession. The mind rarely rests and is never fully concentrat
ed. In the light of Patanjali s Yogasutra, we can understand Chamunda as the power
to restrain the mind s endless modulations, to stop them altogether. When all men
tal activity (cittavritti) ceases, that state is called yoga: consciousness rest
ing in its own infinite peace and bliss. In that state of ultimate absorption, r
epresented by Chamunda s imbibing of every drop of blood, the soul regains knowled
ge of its own original divinity. Chamunda Kali s battle scene represents the resor
ption of fragmented human awareness into transcendental wholeness.
Away from the battlefield Kali assumes more benign forms. As Dakshinakali, she i
s portrayed as young and beautiful, standing on the supine, ash-besmeared body o
f Siva, who looks up at her adoringly. Siva is absolute consciousness, ever blis
sful in its own glory. Kali is consciousness in motion the overflowing joy that pr
ojects, sustains, and withdraws the universe. Consciousness and its power are on
e and the same reality.
With her lower right hand the four-armed Dakshinakali displays the varadamudra,
the gesture of boon-giving. Her upper right hand makes the abhayamudra, reassuri
ng us to have no fear. The upper left hand wields the bloodied sword of knowledg
e. This is the capacity we can call upon to cut through all appearances and perc
eive the underlying reality. It is the power of mental discrimination (viveka) e

ssential to spiritual practice and growth. From Kali s lower left hand dangles the
freshly severed head of a demon. This represents the human ego the small, false s
ense of individual selfhood that binds us to this world. It is our crippling lim
itation. Once it is out of the way, awareness expands to infinity. We become one
with the Divine and are liberated.
Kali s nakedness signifies her boundlessness. Nothing can contain her who is infin
ite. Her loose, flowing hair also represents freedom, in this case the freedom f
rom social convention, from all the conditioning that has been imposed on us and
that we impose on our own minds. Our true nature is unconditioned consciousness n
irguna caitanya. Another symbol of freedom can be found in the girdle of severed
human arms that circles her waist. This represents the divine power to cut thro
ugh the bonds of karma. It is the power inherent in our own consciousness a freedo
m of choice in the moment that can also be taken as a sign of divine grace.
Around her neck Kali wears a necklace of skulls. All appearances to the contrary
, this is a symbol of creative power. It is the varnamala, the garland of letter
s. Each skull represents a sound of the Sanskrit alphabet, a particular manifest
ation of energy. Physics tells us the same thing that the universe is nothing but
energy, vibrating at different frequencies and levels of intensity, and the resu
lt is this palpable world of name and form. The imagery of the skulls also remin
ds us that all created things pass away. Vibration is movement, and everything i
n the universe is constantly changing. Change is not possible except for time, a
nd Kali is also time, the relentless devourer that in the end swallows up all th
ings.
Kali s iconography in its various forms invites deep contemplation, and that leads
to ever-deepening insight. In general, we can say that all the dualities of lif
e, the light and the dark, the beautiful and the fearsome, are united and reconc
iled in Kali. She represents supreme nonduality, for she is none other than Brah
man. At the same time, the duality of this world is nothing other than her own s
elf-expression.
Two incidents in the life of Sri Ramakrishna bear this out. As a young priest at
Dakshinesvar, Ramakrishna developed an unbearable longing for the vision of Kal
i. One day, feeling he could stand it no longer, he seized the Mother s sword from
the wall in the shrine room, intending to end his life. Just then Kali revealed
herself. In that moment the temple and all surroundings vanished, and Ramakrish
na beheld only an endless, radiant ocean of consciousness. Feeling he was to be
engulfed by the onrushing waves, he lost awareness of the outer world but contin
ued to experience a steady flow of undiluted bliss. Kali had revealed herself as
the Absolute. But she is also the relative. On another occasion in the same shr
ine room, Ramakrishna beheld the image, the altar, the worship vessels, the door
sill, the marble floor, and everything else as nothing but vibrating consciousne
ss even a cat, to whom he fed the Mother s food offering! In that experience Kali re
vealed to him that it is she who has become everything.
From the Absolute to the relative and from the relative to the Absolute, Kali re
presents the power of transformation. For us, who wrongly think ourselves to be
mere mortals, she holds out the promise of transformation from the human to the
Divine.
2. Tara :
In the succession of Mahavidyas, Tara comes second, immediately after Kali, whom
she closely resembles. Just as Kali herself has many different aspects, so does
Tara. Tara is prominent both in Tibetan Buddhism and in Tantric Hinduism, and h
er many aspects include forms that are either gentle (saumya) or fierce (ugra).
The Hindu Sakta Tantra seems to prefer the fierce forms.
So close are the representations of Tara and Kali that often their identities bl
ur. Of course, divinity is a single reality, and that has been proclaimed from t
he time of the Rigveda onward: Truth is one; the wise call it by various names. Th
e recitations of Kali s and Tara s thousand names (sahasranama hymns) have many name
s in common. Not only that, Ramprasad, in his great devotional songs, used the n
ames Kali and Tara interchangeably.
Images of Tara often show her seated on a white lotus in the midst of the primor
dial waters that envelop the entire universe. From this we understand that she i

s the Mother of the three worlds of the heavens, the atmosphere, and the earth.
Like the common representations of Kali in the form of Dakshinakali, Tara is fou
r-armed and holds a sword in her upper left hand and a severed head in the lower
one. The sword symbolizes the power of consciousness to cut away whatever is mi
sleading, divisive, fragmentary. It is called jnanakhadga, the sword of knowledg
e. Our ordinary awareness is engaged in a constant swirl of perceiving physical
objects and formulating subtle objects the thoughts, ideas, opinions, and concepts
that we derive from our perceptual experience. Our unenlightened awareness cent
ers on the idea of individual selfhood conditioned as ego or personality. That e
go is represented by the severed head. Through the power of consciousness to rev
eal the true Self, to let us know who and what we truly are, the Divine Mother u
ses her sword to cut away the limiting ego. She who causes all our mistaken idea
s of who we are, along with false notions of our imperfections, inadequacies, an
d limitations, is also she who frees us from the bondage of that conditioning. O
nce freed, we experience our own true being identity with the unconditioned Infini
te.
In her upper right hand Tara wields a pair of scissors, which symbolize the same
cutting action as the sword; in particular they represent the ability to cut of
f attachments. Her lower right hand is often shown holding a blue lotus, said to
represent her open heart.
Tara is bejeweled, signifying her beauty and infinite wealth. There is nothing l
acking, for she is absolute perfection. Her complexion is dark blue like the nig
ht sky. That also signifies her boundlessness.
Not only is she infinite; she is all-knowing. Her three eyes signify the knowled
ge of past, present, and future.
Unlike Kali, whose hair flows loose and wild, Tara wears hers in a carefully coi
ffed topknot (jata). Whereas Kali s hair represents absolute freedom from constrai
nt, Tara s is a symbol of yogic asceticism that is to say, of the yogic ability to m
anage and direct the movement of the mind, to achieve Self-knowledge through sel
f-mastery.
Her tongue is in constant motion, framed by fearsome teeth and a mouth that appe
ars terrible. Like Kali, she is all-devouring, unrelenting time.
She wears a tiger-skin around her waist. This is a symbol of her liminal charact
er she stands as the edge of civilized order. She can be wild and uncontrolled. Sh
e is uncircumscribed nothing, including the laws of human society, can contain her
. Still, this minimal clothing, some say, shows that she represents either the l
ast stage before liberation or the first stage of cosmic emanation. She is not c
ompletely naked like Kali, whose utter lack of clothing symbolizes infinitude an
d total freedom.
A nimbus or halo of light surrounds her head, signifying her glory. Rising above
it is the ten-headed serpent Akshobhya, who represents Siva-consciousness a state
utterly free of agitation consciousness in a state of rest (visranti), the state
of absolute being-awareness-bliss (saccidananda). This is the ultimate reality a
s well as the Mother s own true nature (svasvarupa) and ours. Patanjali says the s
ame thing in the Yogasutra (1.2), where he defines yoga as the cessation of all
activity within the individualized field of awareness (yogas cittavrittinirodhah
). When consciousness ceases its activity, it ceases to be modified and conditio
ned as thought-waves (vritti). These thought-waves are the projections and the c
ontents of consciousness. In the stillness only pure awareness remains, the expe
rience of undivided, nondual wholeness.
Tara sits on the body of Lord Siva, who lies motionless beneath her. This can be
interpreted in more than one way. It can mean that Mother is supreme, but it ca
n also indicate the mutual necessity of her relationship with Siva. He is the fo
undation which supports her, and she is the dynamism that makes possible the pla
y of the universe. Siva and Sakti are not only mutually dependent they are a singl
e reality. Consciousness and its power are not just inseparable; they are identi
cal. Without Siva Sakti would have no being, and without Sakti Siva would have n
o expression.
The serpent Akshobhya reinforces this point. Mother, in her supreme glory, is id
entical to Siva consciousness-in-itself, motionless and unperturbed, the eternal,

self-luminous reality. The meaning of this symbol affirms Tara s closeness to Kali
, who heads the list of the Mahavidyas. Kali represents the highest form of wisd
om or liberating knowledge, and Tara, in her own way, represents a close second.
It is possible to read the serpent Akshobhya as a symbol of the human s innate ca
pacity for enlightenment, and Tara herself as the penultimate stage in the proce
ss of enlightenment, which is in fact the dissolution of the human ego.
Both Kali and Tara are strongly associated with death and dissolution. Whereas K
ali is often said to be the power of time (kala) that inexorably causes all crea
ted things to perish, Tara is more often associated with fire, and particularly
the fires of the cremation ground. One of her names is Smasanabhairavi, the terri
ble one of the cremation ground. It is important to remember that fire represents
not only destruction but also purification and transformation.
Much of Tara s symbolism can be related to death but in its broadest perspective. Th
e death it refers to is the death of the ego, the false idea of selfhood that ke
eps the individual in bondage, ever reactive and in thralldom to all of life s ups
and downs. Like Kali, Tara is sometimes shown wearing a girdle of severed human
arms, a symbol of her ability to relieve us of the burdens of karma. The scisso
rs and sword, rather than being understood as agents of death, should be thought
of as tools to dismantle and remove the ego, the sense of mistaken identity tha
t defines, limits, and binds.
Tara s name is derived from tri, which means to cross. One of her epithets is Samsar
atarini, she who takes across the ocean of worldly existence. Tara is thus the allgracious liberator.
Added to all this, the figure of Tara also embodies maternal tenderness. Her mot
her s love is unconditional, and her liberating mantra is given freely to all.
3. Tripurasundari :
Tripurasundari is sometimes spoken of as an adimahavidya, or primordial wisdom g
oddess, which puts her in the company of Kali and Tara as representing one of th
e highest experiences of reality. She is not the ultimate, absolute, or nirguna
state devoid of all qualities; still, she represents the experience of conscious
ness in a high state of divine universality.
Her other names include Sodasi, Lalita, Kamesvari, Srividya, and Rajarajesvari.
Each of these emphasizes a particular quality or function.
According to the description in her dhyanamantra, Tripurasundari s complexion shin
es with the light of the rising sun. This rosy color represents joy, compassion,
and illumination.
Tripurasundari has four arms, and in her four hands she holds a noose, a goad, a
bow, and five arrows. The noose indicates the captivating power of beauty. The
goad represents the ability to dissociate from ego-based attachment. The bow rep
resents the mind (manas), and in this case it is no ordinary bow but one made of
sugarcane. The five arrows, representing the five sensory faculties (jnanendriy
as), are made of flowers. In other words, what we perceive and cognize is by nat
ure good, sweet, juicy, and delightful. The world is a place of beauty, to be sa
vored and enjoyed. To reinforce that idea, a profusion of jeweled ornaments ador
ns Tripurasundari s body, symbolizing not only her splendor but also her inexhaust
ible abundance.
Tripurasundari is often shown sitting on the recumbent body of Siva, who rests o
n a throne. Siva is the absolute consciousness-in-itself, the sole reality and s
upport of everything that has name and form. On that sole support sits Tripurasu
ndari, who is Sakti. This is a graphic illustration of the great Tantric teachin
g that without Siva Sakti would have no being, and without Sakti Siva would have
no expression. Consciousness and its power are one.
The four legs of Tripurasundari s throne are the gods Brahma, Visnu, Rudra, and Ma
hesvara. Brahma is the power of creation or cosmic emanation (srishti); Visnu, o
f cosmic maintenance (sthiti); Rudra, of destruction, dissolution, or withdrawal
(samhara). In a distinctively Tantric addition to this threefold activity, Mahe
svara symbolizes the divine power of concealment (nigraha). When the nondual rea
lity makes manifest the finite many, the infinite One becomes hidden from our aw
areness. Conversely, Siva, in the form of Sadasiva, is the power of self-revelat
ion (anugraha), also known as divine grace. When we go beyond the appearances an

d division of name and form, we again experience the ineffable divine unity that
is our true being. These five deities Brahma, Visnu, Rudra, Mahesvara, and Sadasi
va represent Tripurasundari s five divine activities (pancakritya).
In the Sakta Tantra, it is Mother who is supreme, and the gods are her instrumen
ts of expression. Through them she presides over the creation, maintenance, and
dissolution of the universe, as well as over the self-concealment and self-revel
ation that lie behind those three activities. Self-concealment is the preconditi
on as well as the result of cosmic manifestation, and self-revelation causes the
manifest universe to dissolve, disclosing the essential unity.
With this in mind, the eighteenth-century commentator Bhaskararaya proposed that
the name Tripurasundari should be understood as she whose beauty precedes the th
ree worlds, meaning that she is divinity in its transcendental glory. However, th
e name is usually taken in an immanent sense to mean she who is beautiful in the
three worlds. Present here is the idea of a triad, a grouping of three that plays
out in many different aspects of the phenomenal world.
The triangle is the dominant motif of Tripurasundari s yantra, the Sri Chakra. The
innermost triangle represents the first stirrings of cosmic evolution. This tak
es place within divine consciousness. Pure, nondual consciousness is aware of no
thing other than itself, for there is no other. It is pure subjectivity the ultima
te I (aham). As we learn from the Upanishads, the One, seeing itself alone, declar
es, Let me be many; let me propagate myself. Within the pure awareness of I (aham) a
rises the idea of this (idam). Now we have subjectivity and objectivity within the
same singular reality of consciousness. And where there are two, there is alway
s a third the relationship between the two. Hence, the triangle of the knowing sub
ject, the known object, and the act of knowing that relates them.
Tripurasundari represents the state of awareness that is also called the sadasiv
atattva. It is characterized as I am this (aham idam). Cosmic evolution is the out
ward flow of consciousness (pravritti). Spiritual practice reverses that flow, s
o for the yogin this stage is a very high level of attainment, close to final re
alization. It is an experience of the universe within the unity of consciousness
. A beautiful expression of this occurs in the Bhagavadgita (6.29): One who is jo
ined in yoga sees the Self in all beings and all beings in the Self; his is the
vision of sameness everywhere (sarvabhutastham atmanam sarvabhutani catmani / iks
hate yogayuktatma sarvatra samadarsanah). In this state a person experiences the
same sense of selfhood felt within his or her own heart as pervading everything
. This experience of the Self in all beings, called sarvatmabhava, takes one bey
ond the confines of the individual ego to the realization that I am all this. This
is the level of awareness known in the Tantra as sadasivatattva. This direct ex
perience of the Divine simultaneously in oneself and throughout the whole of cre
ation results in a feeling of universal love (visvaprema). One who lives in this
exalted state of oneness feels no separation from others and therefore becomes
a fount of compassion.
Even in our ordinary state of consciousness, Tripurasundari is the beauty that w
e see in the world around us. Whatever we perceive externally as beautiful reson
ates deep within. That is the meaning of the flower arrows and the sugarcane bow
. Deep within dwells the source of all beauty, that ultimate truth of which the
outer world is only a reflection, of which our experience is a recognition. True
beauty lies not in the object perceived but in the light of awareness that shin
es on it and makes it knowable. One who lives mindful of Tripurasundari abides i
n a purity of consciousness and experiences a joy that can be tangibly savored.
Yet if the creation is wonderful, how much more wonderful must be she who create
d it.
For the unenlightened the world appears imperfect. Perfection is wholeness and u
nity, but the world appears to be a vast assemblage of diverse parts. The unity
of the divine cause is veiled by the multiplicity of its effects. We perceive be
auty but feel also the pain of its fleetingness, forgetting that the source of b
eauty lies indestructible in the heart of our awareness as the Divine Mother, Tr
ipurasundari.
Her sadhana is therefore the purification of our awareness cleansing the mind of u
nworthy thoughts and the patterns of thinking that underlie them, recognizing be

auty everywhere, seeing the miraculous in the commonplace, and rising to the con
viction that nothing is alien to ourselves. As the Upanishads teach, All this uni
verse is truly Brahman (sarvam khalv idam brahma); so too is this Self (ayam atma
brahma).
4. Bhuvanesvari :
The fourth Mahavidya is Bhuvanesvari, whose form closely resembles that of Tripu
rasundari. Even more than the goddess who is beautiful in the three worlds or tr
anscends them, Bhuvanesvari is identified with the manifest world and our experi
ence of it.
Her name consists of two elements: bhuvana, which means this living world a place
of dynamic activity and isvari, which means the female ruler or sovereign. The nam
e Bhuvanesvari is most often translated as Mistress of the World, but bhuvana is m
ore than the earth we stand upon. It is the entire cosmos, the bhuvanatraya, con
sisting of the heavens, the atmosphere, and the earth. Because this is a living,
dynamic phenomenon, Bhuvanesvari embodies all its characteristics and their int
eractions.
Some of her other names make this same point. She is called Mahamaya ( she whose m
agical power is great ). Maya here is the power to create a magical appearance for
the delight of the spectator; that is what a magician does. She is called Sarva
rupa ( she whose form is all ) and Visvarupa ( she whose form is the universe or she who
appears as the universe ). All that we experience in this life is in fact the Div
ine Mother. As Bhuvanesvari she is consistently associated with the here and now
.
Her images closely resemble those of Tripurasundari in several respects. Bhuvane
svari s complexion resembles the color of the rising sun; she wears the crescent m
oon on her brow, and she is heavily bejeweled. This last feature affirms the val
ue of the physical world. Sometimes she is shown holding a jeweled drinking cup
filled to the brim with gemstones, reminding us that she is the source of all ab
undance.
The lotus on which she sits tells us that she is the source of the creation. Her
full breasts symbolize her nurturing, maternal nature. As Mother she sustains a
ll that she has given birth to, and her attitude toward all her children is most
gracious.
This world, with its profusion of diversity, is her joyful play, to which she re
mains ever attentive. That is indicated by her three eyes, which represent her k
nowledge of past, present, and future. Nothing escapes her all-pervading awarene
ss.
Bhuvanesvari is often shown holding a noose and a goad. Sri Ramakrishna used to
say that it is Mother who binds and Mother who sets free, and these two implemen
ts illustrate her captivating and liberating powers. With her noose she fulfills
the functions of avidyamaya, casting us into the confusion by which we mistake
appearances for reality. According to another interpretation the noose represent
s the pancakosa, the five sheathes that surround and conceal the atman. They are
the physical body (annamayakosa), its life-breath (pranamayakosa), the perceivi
ng mind (manomayakosa), the determinative faculty (vijnanamayakosa), and the cau
sal sheath or sense of individuality (anandamayakosa). With her goad she pushes
us to overcome any hindrances any passions or negativities or wrong ideas that con
ceal our true, divine nature. She urges us to reach beyond the limitations of hu
man life drawn by body, mind and personality, and to aspire to true Self-knowled
ge.
The lotus is one of the most pervasive symbols in Indian iconography and its mea
ning can vary according to context. Here the lotuses in Bhuvanesvari s upper hands
represent growth and the vigorous energy pervading the cosmos. They also symbol
ize purity and perfection. Although the lotus plant has its roots in the mud, it
s blossom is untainted in its beauty. The lotus thus represents the state of spi
ritual perfection to be attained through sincere and ardent practice. Our ordina
ry lives may appear mired in worldliness, but we are in essence untouchably pure
.
Because Bhuvanesvari is so closely associated with the manifest universe, it fol
lows that the emphasis is on her creative power. As the physical universe begins

to emerge out of the void, the first of the five elements (mahabhutas) to manif
est is space (akasa). It only makes sense that there would have to be space befo
re the remaining four elements would have a place in which to exist. Space is al
so the medium of sound, and this sound is none other than the creative word. The
two ideas are very closely related. In the Rig Ved, which is the most ancient o
f all Indian sacred texts, space is personified as Aditi, the great mother godde
ss of early Vedic times. Aditi, whose name means undivided, had as her physical sy
mbol the vast, shining expanse of the sky. This space, which appears to stretch
on without limit, is a visible symbol of infinity. Aditi, the great mother who g
ave birth to the gods, and who is all that has been, is, and will be, was also i
dentified with Vak, the goddess of the creative word, who in turn is identified
with Sarasvati and later with Durga. Western philosophy recognizes this same con
cept of creative power as logos. In line with this thinking, another name of Bhu
vanesvari is Vagisvari, the sovereign of the creative word, who rules over the pro
cess of cosmic manifestation.
Along with the idea of space comes the idea of pervasion, and so Bhuvanesvari is
celebrated as the all-pervading divine presence. And all-pervading means just t
hat. We think of exterior space as beginning where our physical body ends and th
en stretching out into the unimaginable reaches of the universe. That is one for
m of space. But there is also an inner space the space within our own awareness and
that too is infinite.
The inner space is the space of the heart. The word heart does not refer to the
physical organ or even to its location in the chest. Heart means the center of a
wareness, the very essence of consciousness. For each of us the heart is the abo
de of the infinite Divine Mother. This means that wherever we go in this world,
we are never away from her presence. We may often forget, and most often we do,
owing to the myriad distractions which claim our attention and involve our thoug
hts, feelings, and actions. Still, the light of awareness is ever present, illum
inating and making possible all experience. Without the Mother s presence, there w
ould be nothing.
In a treatise entitled Self-Knowledge (Atmabodha), attributed to Shankaracharya,
the penultimate sloka (verse 67) takes up this same theme: Risen in the space of
the heart, the Self, the sun of knowledge, dispels the darkness; all-pervading
and all-supporting it shines and causes everything to shine (hridakasodito hy atm
a bodhabhanus tamopahrit / sarvavyapi sarvadhari bhati bhasayate khilam).
Practically speaking, Bhuvanesvari, by her all-pervasiveness and identification
with the universe, invites us to cultivate an attitude of universality. Any reli
gion that lays claim to possessing the exclusive truth is indulging in a dangero
us fantasy. All religions link humankind to a single reality that lies beyond th
is world of our petty differences yet abides in every heart and mind. Some choos
e to call this reality God or Heavenly Father or Divine Mother, but in truth he,
she, or it is that which cannot be named, for to name is to limit, and who are
we to limit the Illimitable? And why? For our own personal comfort or satisfacti
on, either individually or collectively? Does it serve us better to cling to our
own parochial ideas of the Divine and ever to squabble among ourselves? Or to o
pen ourselves to the Infinite, which we can never describe, but which in truth w
e are.
( To Be Continued ..... )
" Om Shanti Shanti Shanti "